


Ghost Story

by Tunfisken



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: All the dark shit is in later chapters, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen, Ghosts, Horror, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, M/M, Mystery, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Paranormal Investigators, Psychological Horror, Temporary Character Death, i've tagged this with all the paladins because it will focus on all the paladins. promise., klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 18:39:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10599864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tunfisken/pseuds/Tunfisken
Summary: Paranormal bloggers Matt and Shiro suddenly disappear while investigating a case. Keith needs answers, and Pidge knows their brother is out there somewhere. Hunk and Lance each have some skeletons in their closets, and when Shiro suddenly turns up a year later, they threaten to come tumbling out.The five of them are thrown together by circumstance, but must work together if they want to find the missing Holt. And in the midst of it all, Keith swears something is off about the lanky brown boy he's constantly butting heads with...





	1. Pidge: Evening

**Author's Note:**

> I have only written fanfiction twice before, once in 2009 and once in 2011. Send help.
> 
> In all seriousness tho, this is not gonna be a happy or lighthearted story. It'll contain character deaths (no major/permanent deaths tho), violence, possibly graphic descriptions of violence towards children, horror/mystery, some romance, but mostly angst. I do, however, promise a happy ending for those of you who make it all the way until the end. :')
> 
> I don't have a beta, and English is not my first language, so feel free to point out any mistakes or awkward sentences.
> 
> Let's do this!
> 
> Find me on tumblr: a-judging-baby.tumblr.com

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is looking for answers. Lance and Hunk helps however they can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go guys. This is gonna be one hell of a ride!
> 
> Note: I'm rewriting the first chapters as they were messy and unorganised. Now it should be easier to understand who is saying and thinking what. More clean cut POWs in each chapter. Rereading is highly encouraged.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Matt? Is that you? It's me, Pidge. Can you hear me? Matt?"

The words came steadily from Pidge's mouth. The first couple of times they had tried it, their voice had been shaky and unsure, trembling with emotion. But that was months ago. No such signs of inexperience was present now.

Pidge looked away from the board on the dusty ground before them, and met Hunks eyes across the room. Hunk gave them a thumbs up, before refocusing on the camera in his hands. It seemed like all was going well.

Next, their eyes quickly swiped over the third and last person in the room. Lance was shifting his weight uneasily, nervous energy and unspoken words plainly visible on his features as he fought against the urge of speaking up. The recording was still going, after all.

Feeling reassured that their team was focused on the task at hand, Pidge returned their attention to the board. Taking a deep breath, they relaxed their mind and let their thoughts flow freely, ready to give it another try.

*

"Pidge!"

Slowly turning around, Pidge reluctantly faced Lance, who had marched straight over to them once Hunk had given him the go ahead. Hunk, who was pointedly ignoring them both in favour of packing away their equipment. Sneaky bastard.

Pidge stared longingly at the gear on the ground, wishing they could avoid the conversation at hand, before meeting Lance's eyes once more. "What," they said, though it didn't sound much like a question. They _knew_ what.

"What do you mean, _what_? You know what!" Apparently Lance knew it, too. Lance gave them an exasperated stare, his hands waving through the air as he looked for the right words. "You-- how many times have I told you? Never start with a leading question! It's like, horror movie 101! No 'hello yes this is Pidge, am I talking to my brother?' because if you actually get in contact with something then you've just given them the upper hand! A simple 'hello' will do! Really," he sighed. Once Lance had made his point, he seemed to deflate a bit, expression turning sheepish as he scratched the back of his head.

"I know it's a rough situation for you, but..."

"Well," Pidge said when Lance failed to pick up where he left off. They had waited for Lance to calm down (and maybe also to find their own words. No one but Pidge would be the wiser), but now they spoke up. "I just thought it would get us the answers we needed faster this way. Besides, how would you even know? Horror movies aren't a good source to base your research off of," they added with a teasing smirk.

Pidge didn't particularly feel like having the conversation Lance had initiated. They didn't feel like dealing with his worrying, so they side tracked him. It wasn't really fair considering how well it worked against the boy, but fighting dirty was the sort of thing one learned to do when they were practically living on top of each other. Lance reacted just as well as he always did.

He gave an indignant squawk, mouth opening and closing a few times, and he looked deeply offended. He flapped his arms a bit, before bursting out a "Horror movies are the _perfect_ source, why do you think I have us _marathoning them all the time, you little gremlin-_ " before Pidge smirked, eyes swiping across the room a few times before landing on Hunk.

Registering at the back of their mind that Lance was still ranting about the value and life lessons to be had from various horror classics, they let their attention wander towards Hunk. He had finished packing their equipment, and he was now waiting by the door, arms crossed and frowning slightly, giving Pidge a disapproving look.

"Lance," Hunk said, voice loud enough to startle both of them. "I finished packing. Let's go!"

Pidge saw Lance blinking out of the corner of their eye, before the boy smiled easily and shrugged with an easy,"Oh. Sure thing, Hunk!"

As Lance grabbed a couple of bags and left the room, Hunk lagged behind and regarded Pidge with an unreadable look as they stalled for time by pretending to double check that they hadn't left anything behind.

"You shouldn't dismiss him like that. He's worried about you. We both are."

Pidge gave a small sigh, squared their shoulders, and met Hunk's gaze. "I know. But I don't want to talk about it. When I do, I'll come to you guys, but until then? No. Sorry Hunk."

It was unfair how big Hunk's puppy dog eyes could get. Pidge started to fidget beneath the weight of them.

"Can we please just... focus on finding my brother? Please? And..." they looked at Hunk, who was still _pouting_ at them. Jeez. "And... _if_ I feel like... _talking_ about my feelings, then.. I'll come to you. Okay?"

Hunk seemed to consider it, before his expression broke into a smile, and he nodded in satisfaction. "Dude, that's all we're asking for. Do you wanna try again here tomorrow?"

Pidge followed Hunk out the door as he held it open for them, smiling slightly themselves, before they shook their head. "Nah. I don't think there's anything here. We can move on to the next city like we planned. You feeling up for driving?"

The two of them walked with a friendly air between them, both enjoying the camradie that came with time and trust. "Sure Pidge, you know I love driving. Helps with the motion sickness," Hunk said conversationally. Pidge noticed Hunk was looking ahead at something, and followed his gaze to where Lance was leaning against the car. When he remained still, Hunk called out.

"You okay buddy?"

"Yeah," Lance answered after a long pause. He was shivering, Pidge noticed. "This place is just giving me the creeps, y'know?"

The building they had just come out of was located in the middle of an abandoned street. According to Pidge's research, it was supposed to become a row of brand new houses that were to be given to employees of a firm as part of their reward program for long term workers. After a sudden and brutal pile up of bad luck in the shape of deals going sour and a medium sized scandal regarding someone important, the project was abandoned to save the firm from bankruptcy. Several employees were let go, and the houses were left half finished.

Pidge didn't share Lance's feeling of unease. They had just gotten proof that nothing supernatural was going on in the area. Perhaps the paranormal wasn't the only thing that could make something seem off in Lance's mind? Pidge gave a mental shrug. Who knew what Lance was thinking.

The three of them got into the car, talking details of their move the next day. Lance seemed to brighten up when he learnt that they were moving cities after all. Pidge didn't know how Lance could still be excited by something that had become so normal for them, but they were not complaining. A happy Lance was roughly a billion times more bearable than a sulking Lance. Pidge knew that from experience. 

A shiver made it's way down their spine, and didn't go unnoticed by the other two. At Lance's questioning hum, they started explaining.

"Just thought about something... funny..." they trailed off, making a hasty decision to not trigger a bad mood by mentioning it. Lance looked back at them for a moment before shrugging and letting it go with a noncommittal sound. Pidge met Hunk's eyes in the rearview mirror, and mouthed 'foundation incident'. Hunk's eyes widened in realisation, and he gave them a tiny nod.

They had done the right thing.

The car lapsed into a comfortable silence, Lance taking control of the AUX cable to play some music for the drive through the darkness. Rihanna singing in their ears, the world illuminated softly by the passing streetlights, Pidge soon relaxed into the backseat.

After a while they started looking through their phone, reading up on the city they were going to leave for the next morning.

A couple of incidents from months and years back, that was the reason they were going. _Kerberos Paranormal Investigation_ had done a case there, a few months before they disappeared. It wasn't much, but the three of them agreed that it was worth looking into.

Scrolling through a list of apartments available for short term rent, their phone suddenly vibrated, a notification from youtube showing up on top of the screen.

It was a message. Not to their private channel, they noted, but to the shared _Voltron_ channel the three of them owned together, mostly used to document any findings and to ask for tips. It didn't have a big following, so messages were few and far in between. They also hadn't disclosed Pidge's relation to the far more famous _Kerberos_ blog, nor had they ever mentioned that they were looking for the missing investigators. Curious, Pidge opened the message.

Generic username, no picture. Just a short message followed by a link.

["Have u seen this? U guys aren't that far from this palce, right? thought it was right up ur alley, so here u go"]

Wary to click on links from strangers, Pidge quickly checked the profile of the sender, dismissing it as nothing of interest, but not a spam account, either. Then they quickly google searched the link instead of opening it directly. Google declared it safe, so they opened it.

It was a news channel, a video marked with today's date taking up almost all of the page. It loaded for a bit, before it jumped a few minutes in. To where the video was when the link was copied, Pidge figured, but they didn't have time to think anything else, because--

_"--this afternoon, one of the two bloggers that disappeared a year ago, Matt Holt and Takashi Shirogane, has been spotted. A nature photographer caught pictures of Shirogane with a drone while working in the desert. After contacting the local authorities, they quickly matched the photo with the missing person profile from a year back, as the two men were last seen in another city nearby. The police has yet to apprehend the suspect, but--"_

Pidge tapped the screen of their phone, effectively stopping the video. They looked up with shining eyes, mixed feelings bubbling up their chest. It was not Matt. It was not Matt, but it was something. It was-

"Shiro?"

Lance was the one to say the name out loud. Hunk had pulled over while the video was playing, and he and Lance met their wide eyes, both of them looking just as shocked as they themselves felt. They hadn't even noticed that they had stopped moving. They- wait.

"Wait, did they say _apprehend_?" Lance looked like he could not believe the words, even as he said them. "That's gotta be a mistake, right? He just got back!"

"We gotta find him," Pidge burst out. "We gotta find him and speak to him before they lock him away. We-"

"Of course." Hunk looked uncharacteristically serious. "We're going. We're going straight back to our apartment, we'll pack our things, and we're driving over there first thing. We'll find him, Pidge."

Pidge found themselves believing him. They released a shaky breath.

"Let's go."


	2. Hunk: Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk, Lance, and Pidge follow the trail left behind by the broadcast. Stories are shared, distances are crossed, Lance is embarassed. The three of them find what they're looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter of worldbuilding until my terrible, angsty plot really kicks into action.
> 
> Also, seeing as I'm currently out travelling I actually don't have any spoon stealers like work or school to worry about, so I think chapters will be coming quite rapidly. I'm feeling very motivated, so that's a nice change for me lol. 
> 
> NOTE: Rewritten!  
> Enjoy!

Hunk's hands were clammy. He had tried to dry them off on his jeans multiple times, but half a minute later they were just as sweaty again. He gripped the wheel harder, the faux leather creaking out a weak protest between his fingers.

He couldn't take it anymore. The tense silence, the anticipation, the _edge_ to the air filling the car with them, like a person, or an omnipresent _being_ too big to fit between the three of them. Just, no. Even Lance was silent, and, no, nope. Hunk was putting an end to it.

"SOOO," he said loudly. Too loudly, he realised. Lance and Pidge were both staring at him like he had grown another head. They had all been brooding for too long. They needed this, Hunk reminded himself. The awkwardness of the present was for their own good. He kept going, the silence having stretched out just a _bit_ too far for it to feel natural.

"Okay, so I feel the need to point it out, even if we all already know, that, this car ride is, in fact, very long. We still have three more hours to go, at least, and since you guys are not sleeping, and we're not playing any music, or, or talking, because we're all thinking about-" and there he cut himself off, swallowing thickly, before powering on. "- _that_ , then I really need you guys to, like, stop the angsting you're doing. There's too much angst in this car. I can't handle it! Turn down the angst-metre a couple of hundred notches, would you?"

He ended his long run sentence with a piercing inhalation, before he blinked at the road in front of him.

The sky was pale and the road was mostly empty. None of them had gone to bed at all, instead staying up for half the night packing, and then they had left during the last hours of darkness. The sun was only now starting to peak above the horizon. Hunk's nerves were frayed.

"Hunk, my man, my buddy my guy," Lance rambled on with a sudden and slightly strained cheerfulness, "You are absolutely right. How about some quality music! I'll get right on that!!"

And with that, Lance plugged in his phone and opened spotify, putting it on shuffle. The song that started playing had Lance paling in his seat.

_'Please, please, forgive me, but I won't be home again-'_

Hunk shot a worried glance out of the corner of his eye when Lance positively _threw_ himself towards the dashboard to grab his phone and switch the song with scrambling fingers.

"Oh my god you guys, I-I'm so sorry.. -come on, dammit! Ah, there we go-"

_'I'm searching.. for something.. that I.. can't reach-'_

The car was filled with Lance's hysterical laughter as he quickly switched the song again.

_'Say something I'm giving up on you, I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you, anywhere-'_

Lance violently ripped the AUX cable out of his phone. Hunk noticed to his dismay that the car once again lapsed into a stifling silence. It could have been his imagination, but he would swear on his life that it was somehow _even worse_ than it was before.

"I'm never trying anything ever again," Lance said to his knees. A quick glance told Hunk that the boy next to him had curled up into a mortified ball on his seat, and was currently hugging his knees.

It looked very uncomfortable.

"Aww buddy, don't say that! Thank you for trying, bro." Hunk tried to comfort him, hoping it would relax Lance enough to at least stop him from trying to bend his limbs into the vague shape of a pretsel. Hadn't he been genuinely worried for Lance's spine, he would've been impressed!

"Um," Pidge piped up from the backseat. "Maybe I can... tell some stories that my brother told me? To pass the time?"

Hunk felt his face brighten, and he glanced at Pidge through the rearview mirror, hoping he came across as grateful as he felt. Even Lance cocked his head out of his ball so he could hear better!

"That would be awesome Pidge! Please, do share the awkward family stories. Lance here has been a fan of _Kerberos_ for literal years, man!"

Hunk could feel the ball next to him that was Lance judging him. He paid it no mind.

*

"WAIT, wait, hold on a minute."

Hunk had one hand pressed against his aching abdominal muscles, trembling uncontrollably from laughter that had been going on for far, far too long.

Lance was crying beside him, literally crying from laughing, and had long since given up any pretense of moping around from the musical disaster. He was wiping his eyes with one hand, while the other was held up in the air as if that would stop Pidge from trying to _kill them by hilarious storytelling_.

"That can't be right, right? You're joking. Please, tell me you're joking," Lance was begged through his tears, while Hunk was just. A mess. A slap happy, giggling mess.

For a moment, a spark of worry shot through Hunk. He was near hysteric from laughing. He hadn't slept. And he had to somehow not kill the three of them before they even reached the town they were heading towards.

"It's true," Pidge smirked at Lance, leaning back in their seat and crossing their legs on top of the cupholder between the front seats. "The bakery they were investigating had absolutely _no trace_ of anything paranormal. _At all_ ," they finished gleefully.

"BUT THE DOUGH IN THE TOILETS," Lance screamed at them. "AND WHAT ABOUT THE BREAD? HUH?? THE BREAD THAT WENT FLYING AT ANY CUSTOMER YOUNGER THAN 27 AND HIT THEM IN THE FACE?"

Screw not dying. Moment over, Hunk was back to being _a mess_. Bursting out in another brilliant fit of laughter, once more clutching at his aching stomach muscles, he swore that if he survived that drive, he would start adding situps and planks to his workout routine. He needed to prepare for future story times from Pidge, after all. It really warmed his heart whenever the newest of their team members opened up to the other two, bit by bit.

"The bread never missed. The bread never got anyone's ages wrong. The bread _knew_ ," Pidge elaborated with a manical grin stretching their mouth wide. They were practically rubbing their hands together.

"Mercy," Hunk begged with a laughing sob. "Oh my god, dude, you're killing me here."

"Wait, one more thing," Lance took a steadying breath. "About the teacher. Remind me again how they figured out that he was possessed?"

"He turned nicer." Pidge deadpanned. "The old teacher was so unpleasant and rude and biased that when the ghost possessed him, it turned out that the spirit had a nicer personality than he did. When he stopped using homophobic and sexist remarks, and no longer graded the students of colour unfairly, four different people contacted _Kerberos_ within the week."

"So you're telling me," Lance said with a sniffle. "That no one batted an eye when the old geezer started yelling about doomsday while chanting in latin on the roof, or when he tried to sacrifice the school mascot during a football game, but. They reacted when he _stopped being an asshole?_ "

"Yes, Lance."

At the confirmation, Lance reacted with a drawn out, lone wheezing noise that sounded like it was punched out of him.

Hunk was, frankly, a bit concerned. "I wonder what the teacher is doing now. He didn't really... sound like he deserved to be saved. Am I allowed to say that?" He felt a bit selfconcious after making the confession. He had meant it to be more of an offhanded comment, but for some reason it sounded more... fragile, hearing it out loud. Lance had stopped laughing as well.

"Yeah," Pidge said after a few moments. "Yeah, I think you are. I don't know what happened to him though, sorry. I hope he's not working anymore." They were staring out the window at the scenery that was rolling by, every trace of the laughter from before was gone from their features.

The car ride was more somber, after that.

*

Not too long after that, the three of them rolled into the town they had heard the name of on the news. Hunk was practically dead on his feet, swaying with exhaustion and aching from laughing and being coped up in the car for so many hours on end. The town wasn't big, but they decided to try and fix themselves up a bit before they started their search for the missing man that had been spotted in the desert.

Lance took the job of running some errands, stocking up on water and dry food, some blankets for the car, and what ever else he thought they might need for the drive through the desert. Hunk figured that his best friend had probably noticed how exhausted Hunk was... Also, Lance was probably going stir crazy from having had to sit still for so long. Lance knew Hunk, but Hunk knew Lance right back.

Heaving a sigh, Hunk lowered his head down to rest on the diner table. Residue grease made his forehead stick to the surface. It was gross, but Hunk was too tired to do more than crease his forehead. The sound of Pidge typing rapidly on their computer beside him provided the perfect background noise against the lowered chattering of people. It was still early, not many people were out yet. The table felt way better than it had any right to.

Hunk rested his eyes just for a moment.

He awoke to the smell of food. He blinked. When had he fallen asleep?

And when had Lance come back? Hunk hadn't even noticed. He blinked some more, feeling like his eyes were full of sand. He noticed that there was three plates of food on the table, which meant that someone had ordered for him. There was food, right in front of him, that was his.

With great effort, he pushed himself upright, letting out a big groan as he did. No one had ever said that _Lance_ was the only dramatic one.

*

"Hunk?"

He looked up from his meal when Pidge addressed him. They looked thoughtful, shifting their glasses further up on their nose as they looked around the diner.

He took a sip of his milkshake to clear his throat. "What's up, Pidge?"

"I was just thinking that Lance and I both know what Shiro looks like. Outside of the pictures, I mean. I've met him several times through my brother, and Lance was his biggest groupie."

"Hey!"

"It's okay Lance, all gay people go through an awkward awakening phase at some point in their lives," Hunk smiled kindly at Lance, waiting for his friend to realise his hidden teasing.

"Aw, _thanks_ Hunk, you always got my- hey, wait a minute," Lance cut himself off. His eyes were searching Hunks face, and Hunk felt his mask give way for bright laughter at his friend's shocked face.

"Hunk!" Lance nearly screeched. "I did _not_ have a gay awakening over Shiro! I'm not even gay! I'm bi! You should know that-- If anything, _you_ were my gay awakening, you absolute walnut!"

Hunk was laughing openly now, covering his mouth with his fist while watching as Lance tried and failed to stay serious throughout his rant. By the end of his speech, the both of them were curled over the table towards each other while giggling like children.

Pidge cleared their throat, and the both of them straightened in their seats immediately. Pidge, seemingly unphased by the sidetracking, continued on like nothing had happened.

"But you haven't ever really seen Shiro outside of the 'wanted' pictures, have you?"

Hunk shaked his head. "Nah, I guess I haven't. I never even realised how weird that is, that I've been looking for someone I actually know little to nothing about, beside their job." He scratched his chin thoughtfully, and looked out the window to watch the street outside. It was slowly filling up with people, but it was still too early for any big crowd.

"Well, some things were different in the pictures taken by the drone yesterday compared to the old posters."

"Yeah, anything else would be strange, I guess. It's been a year, after all." Hunk wasn't really paying the conversation as much attention as he probably should. It looked like two people were arguing across the street, gesticulating wildly and their voices picking up enough for him to hear it through the window of the diner, though he couldn't hear what they were saying.

Pidge noticed, of course. Sometimes it seemed like they noticed everything. They kept talking, but a hint of irritation had worked its way into their tone. "Yes, well. I thought I'd make a comparison, so you could easily see what I'm talking about. Here," Pidge said, shoving their computer towards Hunk.

The two men outside were starting to attrack a crowd. The smaller of the two reached towards the bigger one, but it didn't look like an attack.

"Hunk!"

Hunk blinked, and looked towards Pidge. Pidge, who was looking very red and very impatient. Oops.

"Sorry Pidge," Hunk said sheepishly, scratching his neck while pulling the computer closer so he could have a look at the screen. "What was different about him?"

"Well, first off his hair was no longer black. At least, not completely. It was white? In the front? Anyway, yeah, so there's that. Also, he had a scar across the bridge of his nose, which-"

But Hunk was once again not paying attention. Instead his pleasant smile had frozen on his face, and his eyes were wide and staring at the picture in front of him.

"Pidge." They jumped a bit when Hunk addressed them, not used to being interrupted. Their face flashed with irritation again. "Hunk? Did you not hear me? Shiro looked-"

"Like that?"

Pidge's eyes followed the direction of Hunk's finger. Lance was already staring, frozen, almost unseeing at the scene Hunk was gesturing to. Then Pidge saw it, too. Saw the small but growing crowd surrounding the two men across the street. Saw the tallest of the men, and how his hair was black with a shock of white, saw how he looked weary and tattered, and how he had a scar across his nose.

Lance was out the door before Hunk had even lowered his hand back to the table.


	3. Keith: Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finds Shiro, and makes some friends. Hunk shares a story from his past. Pidge and Shiro makes a choice, and the other three makes decisions of their own. The calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, shit doesn't officially hit the fan until next chapter, but this one contains conversations about past childhood trauma. Skip to the end notes to get spesifics.
> 
> NOTE: Rewritten like woah. Read it again, it's... way, way different lol.

"Shiro, please! We can't do this here."

Keith was frustrated and scared. His whole life, ever since he got stuck in the seemingly endless cycle of foster homes and social workers, every negative emotion he seemed to experience rerouted themselves to anger before he could do anything to stop it. It was a coping mechanism, and he was aware of it, but still found himself unable to do anything about it. He was terrified, emotions spinning out of control.

"It's not safe. We need to move! Please, trust me," Keith was aware that he was begging at this point, but he didn't care. He knew that he needed to get Shiro out of the city, before the police could come and take him away. He couldn't lose him, not already. Not again. He had only just found him!

As he remembered the news, he grew even more agitated as he remembered what the news anchor had said. _Suspect_ , his ass. Who knew how long it would be before he'd see Shiro again if he let the police take him. Keith needed answers, and he needed them now. He needed to know that his brother was okay, that Shiro was okay.

Shiro did not look okay. He looked panicked, eyes flickering wildly and seemingly at random between Keith's face and the few people that had gathered around them. _Nosy fuckers_ , Keith thought with panic rising up in him. No one was doing anything, but if they kept making a scene it was only a matter of time before someone would contact the authorities.

Keith made a split second decision to reach out for his brother, hoping the physical contact would help ground him. Before his hand could make contact with Shiro's shoulder though, the taller man ripped himself away with such force that Keith honestly thought he would fall over, or crash into the building behind him.

Keith felt oddly hurt by the reaction, even though he tried not to. He knew Shiro was not himself. Shiro somehow managed to stay on his feet, and when he looked at Keith again, his eyes seemed a bit clearer. They swiped over him before resting on his face once more, and when his eyes met Keith's, they widened in recognition.

"Keith?"

Now it was Keith's turn to go wide eyed. Shiro continued before Keith could string together a coherent response, shocked into silence from being recognised so suddenly.

"Keith! You're here? When did you- Oh. I... I needed to do something, I... I was in the desert? In a cave. They told me to- to... no. I don't... I..." Shiro wasn't making much sense to Keith, and the older man seemed to be fighting a losing battle against his own memories. Keith knew he wasn't helping in the slightest, dimly aware that his mouth was gaping a little, expression twisted to an empathetic frown in the face of Shiro's growing frustration with himself. He kept going, regardless.

"They wanted me to... to bring them- but I, I couldn't, I'd never! You... Keith," there was sweat beading on Shiro's forehead. It seemed like he was in pain, his eyes clenching shut. "They... flowers? I need to bring them-"

Keith shook himself. He needed to get a grip. They still needed to get out of there.

"Shiro? Listen."

He took a step closer to the taller man, hesitatingly raising his hand once more, moving in slowly enough that Shiro would see him coming and had the chance to move away if he didn't want the contact. Shiro had looked up when Keith spoke up, and he was staring at Keith's hand, but he made no sign of freaking out again.

When Keith's hand made contact with Shiro's upper arm, the both of them released their breaths nearly at the same time. Keith searched Shiro's eyes, and once he'd deemed the older man more calm than before, he spoke up again.

"Come on. We're gonna figure this out, but here's not the place. Let's go."

Shiro seemed to deflate under his hand, and just when it seemed like he would agree, the two of them were interrupted by a loud, "Nope. No, you - No, no, no. No, you don't. _We're_ saving Shiro."

Keith blinked at the one that had called out to them. There was a tall, brown skinned boy making his way towards the two of them, determination visible in his eyes and his long stride. He was followed by two other people, who came rushing out of a diner on the other side of the street from where Keith and Shiro had been preparing to leave.

Keith saw out of the corner of his eye that Shiro seemed just as surprised as he himself did. Didn't seem like he knew the newcomers, either. What the hell?

"Uh," Keith started. "Who are you?"

The boy had reached the two of them, and was now standing with crossed arms and a cocked hip, looking unimpressed with them. "Who am I?" he said indignantly. "Uh, the name's _Lance_?"

Keith blinked at Lance. Lance blinked back. By then Lance's two friends had caught up with him, panting. When Lance seemed to realise that Keith didn't know who he was or how he was supposed to know him, he huffed.

"Lance Sanchez? Part of the amazing trio that is _Voltron_ , investigators of the supernatural and things that go bump in the night?"

When that didn't ring any bells for either him or Shiro, Lance threw his hands into the air with a frustrated huff.

That was when one of Lance's companions spoke up.

"Um," they said. All eyes shot to the shortest member of the group, and Keith got a vague feeling that he had seen them before. The person continued. "As Lance said," and here they threw in a glare at the boy in question, "we're the people behind the youtube channel _Voltron_. We've been investigating paranormal activities around the country while looking for clues about _Kerberos_ 's disappearence. I'm Pidge. You've met Lance already, and this is Hunk. Also..."

They seemed to hesitate for a moment, before steeling themselves. They looked Shiro square in the eye when they said, "Matt is my older brother."

Keith tensed up at the mention of his brother's partner. He hadn't even gotten around to ask about Shiro's still missing friend. He sort of felt like a dick. With a twinge of guilt, Keith observed how Shiro's eyes widened at Pidge's words.

Before anyone could say anything at the revelation, Keith spoke up. "We shouldn't have this conversation here. All it takes is the wrong person walking by and recognizing Shiro from the news, and we'll be in trouble."

All eyes were suddenly on him. Pidge seemed like they were only just realizing he was there. "And who are you?" Pidge asked him.

"This is Keith. He's my brother," Shiro explained before Keith could speak up.

The tallest one in their group, the one Pidge had introduced as 'Hunk, spoke up for the first time. "Brothers? But you look nothing alike! Are you sure he's not, like, hypnothizing you into believing you're brothers, or something, but really he's planning on spiriting you away or something? You just showed up after being missing for a long time, dude. Seems kind of suspicious that some random relative _just so happened_ to find you right away. How did he even know where to look?" Hunk was squinting suspiciously at Keith.

Keith scoffed back at him indignantly. "We're adoptive brothers, you idiot. Has no one told you that that's a thing? And I could ask you guys the same! How did you know where to look? As you said, he _only just showed up_."

"Keith," Shiro said, voice heavy with disapproval. "Don't go around calling people idiots right after you've met them. It's rude."

"Okay, they're brothers," Hunk piped up, every trace of hostility gone. He was looking at Keith, expression open and friendly. The sudden change was giving Keith a slight whiplash. He blinked at Hunk, who responded with a bashful smile. "My bad," Hunk added with a shrug.

Lance was laughing into his hand at Keith's confused expression. When Keith turned to glare at the offending boy, Lance simply raised his hands in surrender before speaking up with a casual tone.

"Anyway, Keith, I think you're right. We shouldn't stay here unless we want to get interrupted. Did you have someplace else in mind?"

Keith regarded the boy cautiously. He hadn't outright told the trio that they were welcome to come with, but... At the very least, Pidge _did_ have a connection to Shiro. They probably had questions. Keith had questions, too. He looked at Shiro, not wanting to leave him out of the decision. He found Shiro already looking at him, a closed expression on his face. The two of them locked eyes and exchanged tiny nods, before Keith turned back to Lance.

"Yeah. I do. Follow me."

Lance took a deep breath before nodding at him. The five of them walked away from the street and the noise of the town, none of them looking back.

*

Getting the five of them to Keith's shack took some coordination. Keith had his motorcycle, but it could only fit him and one passenger. Reluctant to part with Shiro, they all agreed that Keith and Shiro would lead the way while Hunk, Pidge, and Lance would follow in the car.

The ride on Keith's part was silent. The wind was too strong for him and Shiro to be able to talk, but Keith doubted he would've found the right words to say anyway. He'd been looking for Shiro for so long, but now that he was back it was like all the words Keith had felt been building up in him were gone, blown away by the winds ripping at his leather jacket as they sped through the desert.

Once the town had disappeared behind them, Keith felt himself relax a little. He sighed in relief, glad to be out of harm's way for now.

They kept going. When the two of them pulled up by Keith's shack, they remained silent as they wordlessly decided to wait for the other three to park and step out of the car before they started talking. It felt like if they first started, they wouldn't be able to stop until they were done.

Pidge and Hunk went inside the shack after Keith waved them towards the door with a small nod. Lance stayed behind, gaze locked on Shiro's back as he followed the two of them through the door of the small building. His eyes then wandered over to look at Keith, stopping him in his tracks when he made to follow Shiro.

The door closed, and the two of them were alone. Keith didn't know what to expect from Lance. His first impression of the boy had been that he was annoying and nosy. Not as nosy as Hunk though, even if the bigger boy seemed mild mannered when he wasn't suspecting random strangers of planned kidnapping, but still too nosy. But Lance's calm agreement with Keith that had ended up pushing the group to finally leave the town had thrown him off.

The two of them were observing each other in silence for several long seconds. Lance was still, except for his hands that were fiddling with the zipper of his jacket. Keith took in his carefully neutral expression, trying to read the other boy.

"How do you know him?"

The question was out of Keith's mouth before he realised that he had spoken up. He blinked in surprise at his own small outburst. Lance seemed unphased by Keith's sudden question though, and answered with a casual lightness in his voice, even as his eyes were still searching Keith's face.

"I... I used to read _Kerberos Paranormal Investigators_. Like, every day. They've been my heroes for years, and when they disappeared-" and then Lance cut himself off, seemingly losing track of where the sentence was going. "Well... you know," he finished weakly.

"Yeah," Keith said faintly. He knew.

He didn't know what else to say to keep the conversation going, though, but before the silence could grow awkward Lance started talking again. 

"Anyway, me and Hunk have been researching paranormal stuff ourselves for around.. two years? Yeah, I think it's been two years. We're not even close to as popular as _Kerberos_ was by the time they disappeared, but. You know. We were just popular enough for Pidge to find us, and when they asked if we were willing to help them find their brother, and said brother turned out to half the brain behind the best blog in existence? We obviously said yes. Pidge has been with us ever since. We haven't made much progress... until now."

"Pidge is... lucky to have you. You seem to care about them."

Keith had no idea what made him speak up. It just felt wrong to stay silent when the other boy had just bared his soul at him. Mentally, Keith cursed his own lack of sosial skills.

Lance didn't seem to find Keith's words awkward though. The boy smiled brilliantly at him, and his next words made warmth blossom in Keith's chest.

"Yeah, I do. They're like a sibling to me... And Keith? Thank you, for saying that. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it."

The silence filled the space between them once more. It didn't feel tense, even with the words hanging heavy between them. Lance had looked away after their conversation had come to a halt, so Keith allowed himself to really take in the taller boy's features.

Lance was taller than Keith, just a bit. Brown skin, almost flawless and free of blemishes. Dark blue eyes that somehow managed to come across as warm, despite the colour. He had a soft accent when he spoke, not terribly noticeable but just barely there, a softness that hinted of another language, ready to be spoken if the boy it belonged to so wished. 

What a strange boy this was, Keith thought absentmindedly as he followed Lance's gaze towards the desert, the harsh landscape that stretched on and on beyond the shack, seemingly endless from where they stood. Lance was confrontational one minute, and then spilling his life story the next. Keith found himself wondering if Lance had always been that quick to trust someone. If it had ever turned against him.

The idea made him feel a bit sick. He decided to take Lance's apparent acceptance of the situation, of his trust in Keith, and do his very best not to break it.

Their eyes met, and Lance's eyes squinted with soft amusement. Keith startled. When had he gone back to looking at the other boy? He felt himself colouring as he realised that he had been caught staring. He hadn't even realised he'd been doing it.

Lance didn't say anything at Keith's sudden embarassment, but he did let out a soft chuckle. Luckily for Keith, Lance also didnt seem to mind that Keith had the apparent conversational skills of a potato. Keith was grateful.

Then Lance nodded towards the shack, and when Keith returned the nod he turned around and made his way towards the front door. He left it open behind him. Keith wasn't far behind.

*

The soft mood of his and Lance's conversation was sadly left behind once they entered the shack. Keith didn't appreciate the sudden seriousness, but he swallowed it down. It was time for all of them to get to the bottom of this. Of what had happened one year prior. Of where Shiro had been, and where Matt was now.

"Shiro?" Pidge was the first to speak.

Everyone was sitting around Keith's makeshift table, but they might as well have been sitting on broken glass, judging on everyone's grim expressions and tense body language.

Shiro had looked up when Pidge called his name, and then they continued.

"First off, I need to ask... Are you okay? It must be quite overwhelming. You've been gone a long time."

Keith was nodding absentmindedly at Pidge's words. He was also worried about Shiro, and wanted to make sure that he was truly okay before they started grilling him for information. He was thankful that Pidge was considerate enough to do so as well.

"I was in rough shape when I first... came back. Keith had only just managed to calm me down when you guys found me. I'm better now," Shiro said in an even tone. He sounded perfectly fine. Keith let out a silent breath in relief.

"I must admit though, I am still confused. My memory is spotty at best," Shiro continued, a bit more slowly. "So before you ask me any questions, I need to ask one, too."

Shiro looked over and met Keith's eyes. "You... you look different." It wasn't a question, so Keith waited for Shiro to finish. He did, after a little while, voice barely louder than a whisper.

"How long have I been gone?"

Though it had been Pidge who started the conversation, it had seamlessly shifted to a more private one between Keith and Shiro. The three people on the couch seemed to realize this, as they quickly looked away to give the two brothers an illusion of privacy.

"A year. It's been... yeah." Keith said, stumbling over his own words. He couldn't look Shiro in the eyes as he said it. Judging by Shiro's quick inhale of breath, he hadn't been expecting the answer.

"A full year?"

Keith nodded, but didn't speak up. He felt drained.

After a long silence, somehow even tenser than before, Pidge cleared their throat. Keith was thankful, giving them his full attention, willing the conversation to move on smoothly.

Pidge seemed a bit lost after managing to break the silence, not knowing where to go from there, so Hunk spoke up.

"I'm gonna start with the obvious one, hope you don't mind," Hunk said quickly, continuing before anyone could respond to his sort-of-question, "Where have you been for the past year?"

Shiro blinked at Hunk, before shifting in his seat until he was once more facing the whole group and not just Keith. "I'll try to answer," Shiro began, "But I don't know if the answer will make much sense."

Hunk nodded his acceptance, and Shiro continued. "I woke up in a cave. That was just now, a few days ago at the most. I also remember looking for a cave with Matt. We were investigating a case, and a source we'd been talking to pointed us towards a cave. It's in th desert somewhere. But what happened between us finding the cave and me waking up in it a year later, I have no clear memory of.

"This is what I know. I never noticed or paid attention to the cave itself. It's like the interior... not like it didn't exist, but like it didn't matter. Kind of how you wouldn't pay attention to a doorway, but rather to where it lead? It's like that.

"The cave was like a doorway... to somewhere. And I don't think it was a 'somewhere' on this plane of existence, either. There was definitely something non-corporeal about it. Which is where my memory seems to fail me," Shiro finished with an apologetic air about him.

"That does make sense," Pidge said thoughtfully as they pushed up their glasses. "There were no traces of the two of you _anywhere_. The police might be useless, but if you had simply been lost somewhere you would've been found eventually. If you were stuck on the other side of the _spirit world_ , on the other hand..."

Keith glanced over at Lance. He seemed to deeply concentrate on Pidge's words, nodding along as his thumb absentmindedly smoothed across the edge of his jacket zipper at a steady, repetitive pace.

"That makes sense," Lance piped up, "But did someone rescue you? Or were you let go? If so, why? And where does that leave Matt? Is he still there?" The questions seemed to fall out of his mouth as soon as he thought of them, leaving no room for answers to be given until he was done.

Shiro sighed. "I don't know what happened. I just woke up and was free to leave. My mind still quite cloudy, as Keith could tell you, so I didn't question it at the time. I somehow managed to walk to the city, so technically it can't be _too_ far from here."

"And my brother?"

Keith looked at Pidge. Their words sounded disinterested, like they wouldn't react to Shiro's answer no matter what it was, but one quick glance at them shattered that illusion in a heartbeat. Pidge's expression was steely, grim almost, but they were shaking from holding it together. Their eyebrows were pulled down into a frown, but the tears gathering in the eyes below them took away the edge of it, leaving it obvious what Pidge was feeling. They were scared.

Keith felt an unexpected pull of protectiveness yank at him. He apparently wasn't the only one.

Lance made a sound like someone had punched him. Hunk had already yanked Pidge towards himself, holding them against him in a hug that, despite (or perhaps, _because_ of) Hunk's size, came across as nothing but comforting and gentle. Pidge didn't even hesitate in burying into it, and a second later Lance joined them.

Keith and Shiro observed the scene with different reactions. Shiro looked like he was in pain as well, while Keith just felt awkward and misplaced. It was _his_ house, but he felt like he was witnessing a private moment. He almost considered leaving, but felt like that would only attract attention to himself so he remained in his seat.

The trio on the couch showed no sign of letting go, but after a few sniffles from Pidge, they shifted enough so that the three of them were facing the room again.

Hunk cleared his troat, and spoke up just as if he wasn't currently engaging in an intense group hug. Keith was impressed. He would probably faint if it were him. Hunk said, "Ahem. You were saying, Shiro? Do you remember anything about Matt?"

Shiro looked uncertain. His eyes locked with Pidge, and they sniffled, but nodded in permission for him to continue.

Looking away, Shiro kept talking. "As I said, I remembered us going to find the cave together. He was... not _with_ me, in the other place, but... he was definitely there. Away from where I was. Other."

Shiro seemed to struggle with his words for a bit, before he settled on; "With someone else. Yeah, that's it."

Keith stared. They all did, he dimly noted. What?

"Who else?" Lance coughed out. "Who else was there?"

Shiro looked at Lance, frowned, and seemed to really think about the question.

"There were... no other people, not where we were. But..." and it felt like the room itself was holding it's breath. "But there were _beings_ , there, with us. They all wanted things. They-"

Shiro suddenly blinked, as if something came back to him in that moment.

"They let me go. They were the ones that took me, took both of us, but then they let me go."

"But why?" Hunk asked. He seemed almost afraid to hear the answer, and Keith definitely sympathised. They all waited for Shiro to speak up.

"Because... they needed me to bring them something. They were planning something, something big, but when they couldn't find everything they needed they released me so I could get it for them. Matt's still there."

Something seemed to dawn on Shiro's face.

"They kept him there so that they knew I would come back. So that I'd have to."

"No."

Keith blinked. His mouth had said the word before his mind had given it permission. He looked up, and Shiro was staring at him. Hunk and Lance was staring, too. Pidge was looking at him as if he had just declared his intent to waltz across the desert to murder Matt himself. Keith was confused for a split second, before it clicked. _Wait,_ he realised, thoughts scrambling. That came out wrong. He didn't mean--

Shiro looked pained. "Keith... I can't just leave him there. He's my best friend. You know that-", but Keith cut him off, saying "No!! I mean, no, yes, of course I know that, and yes, of course we need to save him. I meant 'no' as in, 'no, _you're_ not going. _We're_ going'. I'm coming with you this time."

The room lapsed into silence once more, but this time it was broken again quickly as Lance practically whipped his hand across the makeshift and snagged a hold of Keith's shirt. He didn't have time to do more than yelp before he was dragged across the table and into the cuddle pile head first. Pidge was groaning in pain at being caught in the crash of limbs, but Hunk was laughing and waving Shiro over, and Lance still had a firm grip around a handful of Keith's shirt, and soon the trio were laughing at his and Shiro's apparent inexperience with group hugs, but it was kind of nice? And, well. 

Keith didn't faint, after all.

*

All five of them wrestled around until they were comfortable, Hunk and Lance was still sandwiching Pidge between them. Keith was on Lance's other side, the taller boy eventually releasing his tight grip on Keith's shirt when it became apparent that he wasn't going to run off. Shiro was on Keith's other side, keeping a small distance to the rest of the group, but still looking at them fondly. Shiro was also not-so-subtly laughing at how red Keith's face was, which caused Lance to take notice of said redness, and then he was giggling about it, too. Keith was grumbling in embarassment, but he put no heat into it.

The group was silent for a long time. Keith was enjoying the closeness and feeling of camaraderie, the feeling that comes with being forced to handle a tense situation in a group. They were working together out of necessity, but it didn't feel that way. They'd, somehow, already bonded.

Keith gave a content sigh, and burrowed further into the warm bodies on the couch. The sun was setting, and with it went the famous desert heat. The less known -but no less potentially fatal- desert night came to take it's place, and by now familiar chill of it did not come as a surprise to Keith. He still appreciated the warm bodies surounding him, though.

Keith fell asleep at some point, but didn't realise until he was waking up. Blinking groggily in the darkness of the room, he became aware that the conversation had picked up again. Lance seemed to have noticed his short dip out of conciousness. The taller boy looked at Keith, taking in his tired expression. Lance let out a small huff in amusement before smiling at him warmly, and turning back to the conversation.

He was suddenly wide awake. Keith felt his heart hammering in his chest, and he sat up a bit straighter. Why did he suddenly feel so flustered? He shook his head briefly, before tuning in to Hunk's voice.

"-yeah, so I've known about ghosts and stuff since I was a kid."

"How old were you?" Shiro asked. Hunk hmm'ed for a moment, before answering. "Eight. Right Lance? We were eight, right?"

"Sure were, Hunky-boy. You'd know better than I would, though." Lance replied with a wave of his hand.

Hunk shrugged, before continuing his story. 

"Yeah, true. Well, when my mums and I first moved from Hawaii to the States, the house was haunted. It started out pretty harmless, you know? A drawing would shift a bit towards the left, a sock would move across the room, flickering lights, that sort of thing. I never told anyone about it.

"But then it started getting worse. Books would be torn apart, the pages spread out across the room. All the light bulbs would smash, or the windows would break, and all sort of things would just disappear. My mums thought that it was just me going through a phase or something. Like an eight year old would be able to do even half of what that thing did," he scowled, before shaking his head and continuing.

"Lance here was the only one that believed me. We were in the same class, and every day he would spend hours comforting me when I told him about what had happened the night before. The days he was allowed to visit me after school were the best. The ghost seemed to be inactive when he was there, for whatever reason." Hunk paused to send Lance a warm smile, which the boy happily returned to him.

Shiro spoke up again. "Then what happened? Did the ghost disappear? Did you move out?"

Keith snorted silently at his brother's curiosity. He seemed completely caught up in the story (not that Keith wasn't, but). Some things never changed, apparently. _Once a nerd, always a nerd,_ he thought affectionately. Then Hunk was speaking again.

"Well, eventually, yeah. But the story's not quite there yet. You see, the ghost kept on growing stronger. It started to... ah, periodically possess me. It would only happen for a few hours at a time, and it only got to me when I was sleeping. I realised, and tried to stay awake the whole night. My memories of those few nights are hazy, but I remember falling asleep in class a lot. Some nights I would fall asleep no matter how hard I tried not to.

"One of the nights I ended up falling asleep, the ghost possessed me. And my mums saw me in that state for the first time. They told me about it the next day. They thought I had been sleepwalking. I was apparently surrounded by broken glass, and they thought they'd finally found the explanation for everything that had been going on. They apologised to me, telling me that they knew what was going on now, and they promised to help me.

"I was so relieved. I was crying, like, happy tears all the way to the doctors office. I thought they finally believed me about the ghost-thing. The only thing that changed was that the doctor gave me a medicine to help me sleep deeper so that I wouldn't 'sleepwalk'. You can probably guess what happened next."

Hunk trailed off. Everyone was shifting a bit on the couch, suddenly uncomfortable, seeming to sense a change in the mood, the end of the build-up Hunk had been working towards. 

"A few days later, it all came to an end."

Hunk's voice was barely above a whisper. Keith felt goosebumps making their way across his arms, and he felt the hair on his neck rising. Shiro audibly swallowed beside him. Pidge burrowed further into Hunk's side.

Lance was suddenly very still against his side. Hunk continued.

"I went to bed as usual, shaking in fear. The medication made me so drowsy, I had no chance of staying awake. I blacked out. That was usual. But when I came to, I wasn't in my bed, or even in any room I recognised. Everything was cold. Cold and dark and _wet_ , and a heavy weight was pressing down on me. I was so confused and scared. Something was surrounding me completely, something cold and moist, and-" Hunk cut himself off, shuddering.

Lance leaned over Pidge to wrap an arm around Hunk's neck, and Pidge seemed not to notice the way it forced them even further into Hunk's side. Hunk released a shuddering breath, before he said something that made the room go cold.

"The ghost had buried me. I was buried in the garden, and I couldn't move."

Keith himself pale at the words. The room was so silent he would've been able to hear a pin drop, and it would've sounded deafening against the stillness.

Shiro was staring at Hunk with wide eyes. Keith was at a loss for words. Hunk cleared his throat timidly before he continued.

"I don't know how long I was down there. I might have fainted at some point, probably did, as I was panicking really badly. The wet dirt was in my mouth and eyes and I couldn't breathe. The next thing I knew, Lance's crying face was above me."

Keith looked towards Lance sharply. Lance..?

"He knew. I don't know how, and we've... never actually talked about it, but. He knew, somehow, and this skinny eight year old that I had known for less than a year had somehow made his way across town all alone in the middle of the night. He dug me up, and I was so, so grateful."

Hunk and Lance were looking at each other, and for the second time in one day, Keith felt like he was intruding on a private moment. 

This time, Keith _did_ feel like breaking the silence. "What happened later?"

"We moved," Hunk said simply. "Not far, just across town. I guess whatever tantrum I threw was convincing enough to get them to listen to me. Can't really remember. I ended up living closer to Lance, and there was no ghost there, so I was certainly not complaining. I never experienced anything like that ever since, and I'm happier for it."

"Then why are you out looking for paranormal things now? Aren't you scared? It would be very understandable if you were," Shiro pointed out. He didn't sound accusing, just curious. Keith was curious, too. Hunk concidered the question for barely a moment before answering.

"If I can make sure the same thing never happens to anyone else, then I should. That's all there is to it, right?"

It was phrased like a question, but it wasn't really one. Keith could tell. He felt admiration and respect blossom up in his chest for the man who had so rudely put himself into Keith's life just earlier that day. 

"Lance?" Shiro said suddenly, and a bit sharply. It came out of the blue, and Lance wasn't the only one to jump as it was said.

"Y-yes?" Lance answered, guarded and on edge like he hadn't been until then. Keith felt his expression darken a bit. Shiro kept going, still with that _edge_ to his voice.

"How did you-" "- _Lance_!"

Both Shiro and Lance were blinking at him. His voice sounded angry. He was surprised to find that he was. "Come with me." And with that, Keith stood up and walked out the door without looking behind him. Lance would either follow, or stay behind and be subjected to whatever mood had gotten into Shiro.

Lance followed.

Shutting the door between them and the group felt like a blessing, the bite of cold air refreshing after being shut in for so long. A welcome feeling against his suddenly heated skin. He sighed in relief.

"Tired of socialising?"

Keith jumped a bit. Though he was the one to ask Lance to come outside, he'd somehow managed to slip his mind for a short second.

Lance was looking at him. He walked across the small plateau and sat down at the edge, his feet dangling over the edge. Lance immediately started swinging them back and forth. He was still observing Keith with a raised eyebrow. Keith was stalling and he knew it. 

"I guess," Keith said after a long while, casually making his way over to sit down next to Lance. The boy didn't say anything, so Keith felt the need to speak up.

"I just," Keith started. "I just... Didn't feel like letting Shiro say whatever he was going to say. And. I just. I don't know," and he deflated a bit at the confession. "I feel silly."

"No need," Lance waved a hand, as if waving the words away. "I didn't need saving, but I appreciate the thought anyway." And then he smiled at Keith.

He looked away as if burned, and stared into his own lap. "Hunk is really brave," he said after a while. "Maybe even one of the bravest people I've ever met. It's amazing that he can bounce back after experiensing something like that." It felt like he was babbling. Was Keith babbling?

Lance didn't seem phased though. "Yeah," he agreed easily, the smile in his voice evident in his tone. "He really is. Hunk is amazing. He's my best friend, you know."

"I figured."

"Heh. Guess we are kind of obvious about it." Lance trailed off for a moment. Keith sneaked a glance at him. He was leaning back on his hands, looking up at the stars above them. His expression was hard to read in the dim light.

"The stars are really bright out here."

Keith looked up as well. They were. "Yeah," he agreed, because he had to say something for it to be considered a conversation.

"I'm scared."

The words had both of them looking down towards their feet. Keith held his breath, waiting to see how Lance would react to his confession.

"Yeah," Lance breathed out after a short while. "Yeah. Me, too."

The two of them sat in silence until the cold wind would no longer let itself be ignored, and then made their way back inside, bodies shivering and noses running.

Lance made a beeline for the couch, burrowing in between his friends ( _"Warm me." "Aah! You're_ cold _!" "I_ know _, Pidgeon, it's why I told you to warm me!"_ ), while Keith met Shiro's gaze hesitatingly. The older man looked carefully neutral. Keith cleared his throat, feeling awkward. He flinched when Shiro started talking, half expecting him to yell.

"Keith." "Y-yes, Shiro?"

Shiro was staring at him with a disappointed look. THE disappointed look. Oh no. Something was going to go down, and Keith wasn't ready-

Shiro smiled at him sweetly. Keith felt all the blood drain from his face, leaving him pale and shaking. Oh no.

"Why is there milk in your fridge, Keith?"

Keith blinked. And then he ran.

He wasn't proud of it, but it was the truth. His instincts took over and he bolted. Shiro made a lunge for him immediately, to the supporting cheers of the trio on the couch. _Traitors,_ Keith thought distractedly. He had taken them into his home, and _this_ was how they paid him back? By _cheering_ as he got killed before their very eyes? Incredible.

The world tilted violently as Shiro came crashing into his back, Keith's legs collapsing under their combined weight. All the air left his lungs with a painful sound as Shiro proceeded to scramble to sit on top of his fallen form on the ground, Keith's face pressed to the floor. He was dead. Shiro had killed him.

"I can't believe Keith is fucking dead," Pidge deadpanned immediately following Keith's early demise. "I was so young," Keith mumbled in response. He felt very bad for himself. No one had it worse than he did in that very moment. "I had so much to live for. So many good years ahead of me. And now I'm fucking dead."

Pidge gave a bark of laughter. Traitor.

"Language, Keith," Shiro said from where he was still sat on top of his back, disapproval heavy in his voice.

"Yeah, Keith, what the fuck," Pidge was having way too much fun. Shiro didn't even reprimand them for the curse. The world was cruel.

"So, what? Did a milk carton mascot beat you up as a kid or something? Did you experience something traumatic while a yoghurt commercial was playing in the background? What's the deal with milk?" Hunk asked, understandably confused. Pidge had seemed to catch on immediately, but Lance and Hunk had apparently not.

Keith groaned. The shack really needed a washing. The floor underneath the table was very interesting. There were many different kinds of crumbs there. He spat out a mouthful of dust.

"Oh, that's right. My dearest, darling brother Keith here," Shiro began, voice dangerously and deceptively sweet, and Keith felt so, so sad for himself. He was going to _die_. "...is lactose intolerant."

The room was silent for a moment. Then Lance yelled out, "Keith, WHAT THE FUCK-" and Keith groaned even louder and tried to shove his head through the floorboards. It did not work.

*

After all of them had calmed down, and Pidge had declared Keith _"An Edgelord!"_ to his strong protestations, they all sombered down. It was growing late.

Keith sighed. "We should probably try to get some sleep. I think we're all over tired. It's been a long day, and tomorrow might be even longer."

Their faces told him that they didn't quite catch his meaning, so he added on, "You know. If we're going to try and find the cave? You said it has to be nearby, right Shiro?"

"I did," Shiro agreed. "But... I feel like some of you are rushing into this. Pidge, I know that you'll do anything to get your brother back. And Keith, I know you're going to follow me no matter what, and I'm not giving up until Matt is safe. But Lance and Hunk..." He trailed off.

Pidge pushed up their glasses, looking resigned. "I... it's true. Lance? Hunk? I wouldn't hold it against you if you guys turned around now. We don't know what we're up against. It could be dangerous. You helped me get this far. I already owe you a lot for all your help, and for sticking with me, but... if you wanna turn around now, I get it. It's okay." Their voice was shaky, and they were talking more to their own feet than to the two of them. 

The two boys in question stood in shocked silence for a moment.

The next, they made matching strangled noises as they bounced on Pidge, engulfing them in two pairs of arms, both squeezing their friend in tandem. Hunk was making loud sobbing noises, while Lance was cooing into their hair.

"Get off, get off!" They said, but Pidge was laughing as they said it, halfheartedly pushing at Lance and Hunk's arms. The two of them were laughing, too. "Never," Lance promised with vicious glee colouring his next words, as he yelled out, "I'll never let go, Jack!" Hunk didn't miss a beat. "I'll never let go!" He parroted back, and he proceeded to lift Pidge up in his arms, holding them away from his body, _Lion King_ style. Pidge screeched, arms flailing as Lance shouted, "Wrong movie! Oh my god, _Hunk_ , I taught you _better than this_ \--"

Bright, brilliant laughter bubbled up Keith's throat and burst out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

The three friends that had been wrestling and manhandling each other all froze, and were staring at him wide wide eyes. It only made him laugh harder, doubling over and clenching his stomach with both hands as the giggles just kept on coming, a small snort even escaping at some point. He distantly registered that the trio had adopted fresh smiles of their own as they watched him, small giggles starting to escape them but quickly growing in size and volume when Keith just _kept on laughing_.

Soon all four of them were in hysterics, even Shiro letting out a laugh or two at the sight of them. Keith felt his gaze on him, but couldn't find it in himself to mind. They all collapsed together on the ratty couch once they had calmed down, limbs overlapping in a sweaty but content pile.

Hunk removed any lingering doubt by breaking the silence to say, "We're with you, Pidge. Shiro and Keith, that goes for you guys, too. Me and Lance, we're here for good. You're stuck with us. Just, y'know, in case it wasn't clear already."

Keith smiled. Pidge answered after a few moments, and if their voice was slightly thick with emotion, no one was going to mention it. "Thanks, Hunk."

Lance grinned at them. "We're with you all the way, pal." Pidge grinned back at him mischievously. "Until the end of the line?" Lance beamed. "You know it!"

Keith felt like there was a reference in there that he was missing, but he found that he didn't mind.

They spent the night curled together on the couch. It was cramped, and uncomfortable, and just a bit too sweaty, but Keith found it made for the best sleep he'd had in a year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: mentions of childhood trauma, suffocation, memories of being buried alive. Tell me if I missed anything!


End file.
